Only a tiny, tiny part of the bible can even be argued to reference “homosexuality” (and that argument, in a few of the verses in particular, is worth looking into), yet it seems like whenever we hear about the Bible in the news it’s being slammed against LGBTQ equality. Even worse, kids are disowned and kicked out of Christian houses because of this .0002% of the bible.
In an effort to help one kid in need, I reached out to Facebook (here’s the post) to collect as many great resources as possible for having a conversation tantamount to “Christian + Gay = Okay.” Below are those.
Please reply to share more resources you’d recommend, and I’ll update this list periodically.
(Huge thanks to all the people who swept in to help with these resources in a time of need, and huge-er thanks to all the folks behind the sites/links below for creating them!)
Websites
God Loves the Gays – http://godlovesthegays.org – a queer son of a pastor who writes and shares resources with the goal of making people feel okay being queer and Christian
The “Not All Like That” (NALT) Project – http://notalllikethat.org – videos of (awesome) Christians (mostly families) explaining how they fully support LGBTQ people and that being Christian shouldn’t mean being anti-gay
Soul Force – http://soulforce.org/ – Family that travels and does speaking events, have a ton of materials on their site, and do an “equality ride” (super cool), all from a Christian perspective
Family Acceptance Project – http://familyproject.sfsu.edu/family-videos – Videos from families of LGBTQ kids (kinda like the NALT)
Institute for Welcoming Resources – http://www.welcomingresources.org/usa.htm – Find churches in your area (several in Ft. Collins) who are LGBTQ-positive – easily find a pastor in FC to sit down and chat with
The Gay Christian Network – http://www.gaychristian.net/ – more for the kid than the parents, but plenty of resources available for the parents, too (and a really healthy portrayal of “gay” on their site)
The Christian Left – http://www.thechristianleft.org/ – resources for having conversations about a more progressive/accepting form of Christianity
Faith & Equality – http://faithandequality.com/ – “A comfortable place for LGBT youth and their families,” featuring stories and other resources
The Religious Institute – [http://www.religiousinstitute.org/] – “a multifaith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual health, education, and justice in faith communities and society.
Books
Love, Ellen: A Mother/Daughter Journey (Yep, that Ellen) – Pretty self-explanatory, but an awesome book with a lot of family focus and some Christian stuff – http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0688176887
The Family Heart: A Memoir of When Our Son Came Out – described to me as “the best book from a parents point of view” (I haven’t read it, but respect the person who said that enough to recommend) – http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0345394089
Those 7 References: A Study of the 7 References to Homosexuality in the Bible – good for people who would consider themselves “theological” Christians, or critical thinkers – http://www.amazon.com/Those-References-Study-Homosexuality-Bible/dp/1419676296
Blogs/Blog Posts
I’m Christian Unless You’re Gay – the author of Single Dad Blog (funny, pointed, solid) – http://www.danoah.com/2011/11/im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html
What Happened When Anti-Gay Mormon Parents Discovered their Son Was Gay – Video and blog post that’s pretty touching, but the Mormon thing might be too non-personal for a Christian – http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/08/gay-mormons-wendy-montgomery-_n_4064834.html
The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality – provides alternative interpretations of the main bible verses used to denounce homosexuality (video below and full transcript at link!) – http://www.matthewvines.com/transcript
Movies/Documentaries
For the Bible Tells Me So – following the story of a family who lost a gay kid to suicide – http://www.forthebibletellsmeso.org/indexb.htm
Fish Out of Water – basically a movie version of “7 References” but from the perspective of a queer teen (the documentary maker) who grew up with strong faith – On Netflix Streaming (just watched it last night) – http://www.fishoutofwaterfilm.com/
Bonus!
Watch this amazing video of a “Conservative Baptist Republican” mother defending her transgender daughter and debunking almost every common anti-trans myth.
